Aiden Moffat To Become Youngest BTCC Starter At Knockhill

Scot Aiden Moffat will make history this weekend by becoming the youngest driver to start a BTCC race at the age of just 16, making his debut at Knockhill in Finesse Motorsport‘s S2000 Chevrolet Cruze.

From Dalkeith near Edinburgh, Moffat will take over driving duties of Finesse Motorsport’s S2000 Chevrolet Cruze for the remainder of the 2013 BTCC season, the Jack Sears Trophy-applicable car having previously entered with Joe Girling behind the wheel during the first half of the current campaign.

Aged at just 16 years, 10 months and 28 days, Moffat will lower a record by becoming the youngest BTCC entrant, beating an acolade previously held by Tom Chilton who made his debut in 2002 before going on to claim 12 race wins.

Joining fellow Scot Kieran Gallagher in making his rookie appearance at a BTCC event at Knockhill this weekend, Moffat told btcc.net: “I am just so excited to be on the big stage racing in front of thousands of fans at the circuits and millions more watching on TV.”

Moffat’s racing experience started in karting at the tender age of 12, combining a successful three years with junior banger racing in 2010 and winning the Scottish championship a year-later.

Currently competing in the Celtic Speed Mini Cooper Cup and Scottish Ford Fiesta Championships, Moffat has claimed four wins in the latter during the previous four races in the Fiesta ST Cup, and eargerly awaits his opportunity to join the big stage in which he feels his Knockhill experience will stand him in good stead.

He added: “I know the Knockhill circuit inside and out so that should help with my debut, but I am simply going to enjoy it. I’ve always dreamed about doing the BTCC and it’s always been in the plan, but it has come around sooner than we thought.

“To be told I am the youngest ever driver in the BTCC just adds to the excitement to be honest, so I really can’t wait to get out there. My race craft has really progressed and I’ve been up against some really tough racers in Scotland. I won’t be phased by the challenge, but I’ll certainly be taking it all in and looking to learn from the experience.”

The team, who also compete in the BTCC-supporting UK Renault Clio Cup, will shakedown the Cruze at Knockhill prior to this weekend’s meeting with former BTCC racer and current British GT championhsip leader, Jonny Adam, behind the wheel of the car which has since been repaired since Girling’s Croft qualifying shunt in June, before handing the machine over to Moffat for his series debut at the weekend.

Finesse Motorsport Team Manager, Neil Giddings, said: “We’ve been excited by the opportunity to run in the BTCC and it has been the plan since we purchased the car early in the year. We feel that we’re well geared up for it as a team now and it’s also great for our Clio Cup drivers to see a career progression with the squad.

“Time will tell how Aiden gets on but we haven’t put any pressure on him and he’s knows Knockhill well, so we’re all looking forward to the challenge.”